Pistol caliber question

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Davenport, Iowa
I am a gun noobie, even though I'm 71, my experience is with Remington 1100 shotguns as a young man pheasant hunting in Iowa, and 22 rifles on our acreage to rid the barns and land of raccoons, possums, ground hogs, and the occasional skunk.
My wife got her cc permit and we just bought her a S&W MP22 standard pistol 2 weeks ago that we are learning with, and like it and are looking for something bigger.
We have horses on our property and 6-7 years ago a mare broke her leg on July 4th, we were unable to contact our vet (phone service problems on their end) and our neighbor brought his 45 ACP 1911 pistol and put her down for us.
I would like to have a pistol to have in case this emergency happens again, and we like shooting, and wonder what recommendations folks on BITOG have for this purpose. The salesman who sold us the 22 said he liked 9mm but our son in law who is an experience gun owner and hunter in Alabama said not enough power given his experience. Our neighbor who helped us before with our mare said a 357 or 45 is his recommendation and in Iowa a 357 is allowed for deer hunting.
Any recommendations and help in this area would be appreciated. I'd envision using this as another "tool" to have in my "tool box" for that emergency contingency, as well as shooting, and I'm looking as getting my ccp soon and will probably be getting other guns for that purpose and to target shoot, which we find we like.
Thanks in advance. Bill
 
A .357 Magnum 125 grain hollow-point from a 4" revolver supposedly has the most success as a man stopper in a handgun vs other calibers. I'd want a fast .357 vs a slow .45 for putting down a large animal.
 
.22,.32 and 380. Are a little small and underpowered. I dont really want to get shot with any but a bad guy shot with one may be able to still cause harm.

Theres an old saying....never go to a gun fight without a gun that does not start with a 4.

I have a shotgun in the house for protection and a .357 for outside stuff. A well placed .357 will stop them
 
You're probably going to get answers all over the place on this.

I'm an admitted fan of the 1911.

But seeing as how you have the M&P 22 one of the larger M&P pistols might make sense from a familiarity stand point. I suspect you may find that the best tool for carry and the best tool for toting around the farm are not the same thing and that the best tool for her may not be the best tool for him.

You may find: http://www.corneredcat.com/contents/ interesting.

Me, I'd be looking at a 4.25 inch 1911 in .45 for all around use.
 
For general use, a .357 is a great choice.

Simple to use and load, good power with JHP .357 loads, mild recoil with .38 SPL loads for target practice. No "manual of arms" for malfunctions, just pull the trigger again.

For CCP, or for just plinking, I would consider a 9mm. Modest recoil. Inexpensive ammo. Good performance for SD with modern ammo. Can be compact for carry. Glock 19, for example is reasonably priced, moderate in size, good for a variety of hand sizes, with 15 rounds of ammo. For a brain shot on an animal, a 9mm would be plenty...
 
Well here is my recommendation. Get a 4 or 6 inch barreled 357 magnum revolver. You can shoot 38 specials in it as well as 357 loads. In a 4 or even 6 inch barrel gun, the 38 specials will have very little recoil. There is also less of a learning curve with the gun as there are no safeties to familiarize yourself with. The gun is also not going to be ammo sensitive and you do not need to worry about things like "limpwristing" causing a jam like in some semi auto pistols.

If you do get a semi auto, I would say 9mm will be good for any sort of self defense situations. A hot 9mm will work just fine for what we have here in Iowa. A would recommend a good heavy gun to make it a soft shooter. A 1911 in 9mm, Browning Hi Power, or CZ75 would be my choices. The only downside is not being able to hunt with it.
 
I have a horse and ride deep on mountain trails sometimes. I have had to be prepared for this - though never do it.

A 9mm will indeed do it. A shotgun is a horrible idea for this application.

I know vets who routinely used .22LR for this purpose. And that also will work if you know what you are doing. There are plenty of web sources on how to do it - finding the correct location on the cranium. You should familiarize yourself with that, too, should that have to happen.

If I were 71, I'd consider a 9mm over a .357 or .45 as I know there's been some wear and tear on joints and it's much more controllable vs. .357 and .45acp. I have a Commander (slightly shorter barrel) length 1911 in 9mm and it's a really versatile gun in a fantastic platform. It does not have the punch of a .357, .45acp, or .44 magnum, so I don't take it in the mountains in bear country. But most other uses, I really like that platform and caliber combination. As I get older, I know I will shoot it more than my larger calibers where their punch is not required.
 
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I have a number of handguns, but the answer to your question is what you will use it for. A .357 is a nice choice for just defending the home. If you want to get a CCW, look at a 9mm, like a glock or a cz75.
 
Do you plan on hunting at all? If I were planning to deer hunt and it were legal with the 357 magnum, I would consider a 357 magnum pistol for round compatibility with a 357 magnum rifle.

In general though, to me, it sounds like a 9mm would do everything you need it to do, and be cheaper to shoot than anything else. A 9mm M&P might be perfect for familiarity. One thing that I've found is that it may not be ideal to use the same firearm for both target/recreational shooting and one that is intended for concealed carry. The smaller and lighter guns just aren't as much fun for me. I decided to go with a family of guns that share similar controls, so I can practice with the larger gun when I get tired of shooting the smaller one.

It sounds like you live on a good bit of land and might be able to do some shooting on your land. If that's the case, a 22 rifle would be great to plink with.
 
I am a 1911 fan. But as I age, I prefer something with less recoil, more capacity and longer range.

I've come to prefer the 9mm with high capacity. Still plenty of HP and a good bit more velocity.

A friend owns a Five-Seven pistol and that's my favorite of all. It's a flat shooting, high capacity, low recoil pistol. It's plenty loud for the fun of shooting too. Unfortunately, it fires the "difficult to obtain" but high performance, European 5.7 x 28 mm ammo.
 
Originally Posted By: Cujet
I am a 1911 fan. But as I age, I prefer something with less recoil, more capacity and longer range.

I've come to prefer the 9mm with high capacity. Still plenty of HP and a good bit more velocity.

A friend owns a Five-Seven pistol and that's my favorite of all. It's a flat shooting, high capacity, low recoil pistol. It's plenty loud for the fun of shooting too. Unfortunately, it fires the "difficult to obtain" but high performance, European 5.7 x 28 mm ammo.



There is a poor mans alternative to that, the Tokarev with the 7.62x25mm round. It is one heck of a penetrator and being all steel, the gun does not recoil much. Not to mention they are dirt cheap.
 
I know of butchers that use .22 and .22 Magnum out of a pistol to put down animals. It doesn't require a large caliber, it requires proper placement that can't be made up for by more power if you are trying to be humane.
 
A 1911 is the wrong pistol for new shooters, especially an older lady with a new CCW permit. 9mm might put a horse down but you'd better know your shot placement. Your horse with a broken leg AND a gunshot wound screaming and thrashing would be a nightmare.

If it's her pistol she should decide what she can shoot, not anybody on any forum. Best for her to shoot some different models and calibers. Buy the pistol for the smallest, weakest shooter. Anything she can shoot well you can shoot but not visa versa probably. Good luck.
 
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